MOREEB HILL, LIWA, UAE, 15 October 2004 — Japan’s Hiroshi Masouka ended his six-year wait for victory in the UAE Marlboro Desert Challenge yesterday as Norwegian rider Paul Anders Ullevalseter celebrated one world championship triumph and the UAE’s Khalifa Al Mutaiwie virtually ensured himself of another.
Winning the fourth and final competitive stage, Masuoka powered his Mitsubishi Pajero Montero Evolution to a 13mins 14secs overall win from Belgium’s Gregoire De Mevius Nissan Pick-up, with Al Mutaiwie another 31 minutes away in third place in his BMW X5.
While both De Mevius and Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel can both mathematically beat Al Muwaitie to the driver’s crown in FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, neither plan to contest the final round of the series in Argentina where Al Mutaiwie’s title should be confirmed.
Ullevalseter became world bikes champion by finishing third behind Spain’s new Desert Challenge winner Isidre Esteve and Poland’s Marek Dabrowski. He was soon receiving mobile phone congratulations at the Moreeb Hill bivouac following yesterday’s 255-km final Nissan special stage won by the Spaniard.
While he must wait to be officially crowned in Argentina, Khalifa was draped in a UAE flag at the finish, and with a crowd of UAE nationals surrounding the car he said: “I’ve been waiting and working for this for six years. All that time I was looking for the right car, the right team and the right co-driver.
“Since the start of this season we have been aiming to win the title here in the UAE so I’m just glad to have finally achieved it. Am I going to
Argentina? Why not? I’ve never been there before.”
A beaming Masuoka said: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s taken me many years to win this rally, six years in fact. It has been tough at times but I have a great team and today our tactics worked. Stephane went out in front to clear the route for me and to offer support if needed in order to ensure victory.”
